"THE COKEVILLE MIRACLE: When Angels Intervene,” by Hartt and Judene Wixom, Plain Sight Publishing, $14.99, 149 pages (nf)
“The Cokeville Miracle: When Angels Intervene” provides personal accounts of events prior to, during and after the elementary school hijacking that shook Wyoming, which also recently was made into a movie.
On May 16, 1986, David and Doris Young entered Cokeville Elementary School and were loaded with several different types of firearms, including a homemade explosive device.
Authors Hartt and Judene Wixom are that parents of the one of the students at the school that day. The Wixoms explore reasons as to why Young targeted the town of Cokeville, including Young's then-recent job loss and his understanding of the close-knit dynamics and operations of the community.
The authors also share a breakdown and time frame of the events at the school, along with personal experiences from students, parents and teachers. There were about 135 students forced to sit in a small room along with more than a dozen adults, including teachers, parents, other elementary school workers and community members.
The primary theme shared by survivors, the majority of whom are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the power and influence of prayer and the reality of angels. There are also accounts and reactions from those who either aren't religious or don't have a belief in a higher power.
"The Cokeville Miracle: When Angels Intervene" contains several appendices that include the authors' sixth-grade son’s account, two other personal survivor accounts, David Young’s theory on infinity and a list of 14 factors that many consider to be miracles in relation to the hijacking. A list of the hostages and photographs are also included.
There is no foul language or sexual content. The retelling of the detonation of the bomb in the school is done tactfully and is not graphic in nature.
Micah Klug graduated with her bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University-Idaho. She currently lives with her family in Utah. Her email is klugmicah@gmail.com. Twitter: MicahKlug